WCTR News

Rock Hall’s mayor updates constituents on projects and improvements. Plans include upgraded administrative offices, flexible public meeting spaces, and welcoming areas for community events and engagement. The Town of Rock Hall Mayor & Council will conduct a Public Hearing on its “Comprehensive Plan: 2040” on Thursday, June 12, beginning at 6:00 pm. at the St. John’s Catholic Church Hall, 5621 South Main Street, in Rock Hall, Maryland.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal says a troubling social media trend is spreading through Maryland schools.
WBOC reports authorities say there have been multiple instances recently of what’s being called the “Chromebook Challenge.” They say students are putting pencils and other metallic objects into the charging ports of electronic devices. Its lead to sparks, smoke, and even fires, according to the fire marshal’s office, prompting emergency evacuations and disciplinary actions at schools.

Centreville Middle School teacher Thomas Hayman of Chestertown is a 2025 National History Day Teacher of the Year nominee. According to the Evening Enterprise, National History Day staff worked with local program staff to select up to one middle school teacher and one high school teacher to represent each affiliate for this award. In addition to celebrating outstanding history scholarship and innovative classroom instruction, the 2025 Teachers of the Year will receive a $5,000 cash prize.

A fire originating from roof-mounted solar panels damaged a two-story home in Chestertown last Friday. The Bay Times & Record Observer reports the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company responded to a structure fire in the 22000 block of Great Oak Landing Road around 5:30 p.m. on May 2, finding flames visible from the roof area surrounding solar panels. First responders initially used garden hoses from the property and a neighboring home to combat the flames before additional units arrived. A second alarm was called due to staffing needs and the size of the house, bringing in additional resources including a tanker task force,.

A fire ravaged a two-story residence early Sunday morning in Church Hill, causing an estimated $810,000 in damages, reports the Bay Times & Record Observer. The blaze broke out shortly before 1 a.m. at 123 Walnut St. and took 53 firefighters approximately 90 minutes to control. According to the State Fire Marshal, the fire originated at the rear of the structure. Three adult occupants, identified as Stephen and Lisa Darley and one other resident, were displaced by the fire but escaped without injury after being alerted by functioning smoke alarms.

A Felton, Delaware woman was arrested in Queen Anne’s County on drug counts. A deputy was conducting traffic enforcement in the area of Church St./ Wayne St. in Sudlersville when he observed a vehicle swerving back and forth in its lane of travel. The driver was identified as 38 year old Ashely Clay. A routine check of her name determined her license to be suspended in two states and a K-9 scan of the vehicle returned a positive alert. A search of the vehicle and recovered suspected Methamphetamine and various CDS paraphernalia. Clay was placed under arrest and charged.

The Queen Anne’s County Board of Education voted recently to affirm an ethics panel’s finding that Superintendent Patricia Saelens violated ethics policy by participating in a furniture contract award to her brother’s employer. The Bay Times & Record Observer reports the ethics panel determined that Saelens failed to recuse herself from the procurement process for furniture for the district’s new central offices. The contract was awarded to W.B. Mason, where Saelens’ brother serves as Regional Furniture Manager in Annapolis.

The Kent County Department of Economic and Tourism Development and Main Street Chestertown are proud announce that they have been selected as recipients of two planning grants and one staffing grant from MDTwoFifty, Maryland’s State agency commissioned to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
These grants will enable Kent County and Chestertown to begin early-stage planning, community engagement, and program development for the Semiquincentennial — a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reflect on the nation’s founding.

An initiative aimed at easing traffic congestion near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Queen Anne’s County is returning this summer. WBOC reports the Ramp Management Project, designed to keep traffic moving along westbound U.S. Route 50, will once again limit access to certain exit ramps. The goal is to discourage drivers from using local roads as shortcuts and instead keep them on Route 50 as they head toward the bridge.
The Maryland Department of Transportation says the effort is intended to benefit both beachgoers heading home and Kent Island residents by keeping them on Route 50.

Queen Anne’s County Commissioners have released their proposed operating and capital budget for Fiscal Year 2026. The proposed operating budget for the general fund totals $209.1 million, reflecting an 8.8% increase over FY 2025. The proposed capital budget is $47.2 million, with a six-year capital improvement plan totaling $464.8 million for all County agencies and the Board of Education. The budget is balanced with no increases to property or income tax rates.